Support roll cleaning devices

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for a process of continuously cleaning support rolls comprising applying liquid, or causing liquid to form, on the periphery of the roller at a point after contact between the roller and the article being supported and mechanically removing the liquid and material being washed from the surface of the roller prior to the point of contact between the roller and the article.

United States Patent Wilford Nov. 4, 1975 SUPPORT ROLL CLEANING DEVICES [56] References Cited [75] Inventor: Ernest Wilford, Bingley, England UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1,933,837 11/1933 Arnold 15/256.51 [73] Asslgnee' ga 2,187,421 1/1940 George 15/251551 x or S 2,804,656 9/1957 Purdy l5/256.5l 22 Filed; 4 1974 2,858,575 11/1958 Dudley 15/256.51 [21] A l N 512 400 3,094,068 6/1963 Gericke 101/425 Related LS. Data ExaminerE dward Roberts [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 371450 June 19 1973 Attorney Agent or Flrmponock Phflpm & vande abandoned. Sande 30 Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT June 30 1972 United Kin dom 30073/72 A method and apparatus for a process of continuously g cleaning support rolls comprising applying liquid, or 52 Us. 15 2 causmg liquid to form, on the peiiphery of the roller 1 C m, 56 %g at a pomt after contact between the roller and the arti- [51] Int. CLZ B41F 9/12 D21G 3/02 cle being supported and mechanically removing the [58] Field of /256 5 51 256 liquid and material being washed from the surface of the roller prior to the point of contact between the roller and the article.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures L Mullililllll' US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 1 of 2 3,916,475

U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet2 of2 3,916,475

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lllllllllllllllum- SUPPORT ROLL CLEANING DEVICES This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 371450, filed June 19, 1973, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to support roll cleaning devices and is particularly, but not exclusively, useful for cleaning the rollers supporting carpet in the steamer section of carpet printing apparatus.

In carpet printing apparatus the carpet is printed with various colours and the colours are then fixed by passing a continuous length of carpet through a steamer.

The required length of time for fixation of colours in a steamer is usually accepted as mins. A horizontal steamer is desirable as migration of colours is less likely to occur if the carpet is steamed in the horizontal plane. However, the length required for a reasonable rate of feed of carpet is for example, 150 ft., which cannot readily be housed without taking up undue space.

It has therefore been proposed to provide a horizontal run of 10 to feet, with subsequent festoons to enable the carpet to be steamed for a sufiicient time for colour fixation. However, printed carpet cannot be run entirely satisfactory in loop form and therefore it is preferable to make a steamer of 75 ft. length with the carpet making two passes. This means that on the return pass the carpet must be carried face down on supporting rollers. The whole of the colouring material applied is rarely completely fixed during steaming, so consequently a certain percentage of free colour is carried on the surface of the carpet. It has been found that this colour is deposited on the return pass of the carpet by the supporting rollers and causes mark-back on succeeding carpet lengths.

A method of continuously cleaning support rolls in accordance with this invention comprises applying washing liquid e.g. water, to the periphery of the roller to dilute the material to be removed and, prior to its point of contact with the article being supported, mechanically removing the diluted material, e.g. by brushing preferably at a sufficient distance from the bearing portion of the roller to allow excess liquid to evaporate before the surface engages the article being supported.

The washing liquid may be applied to the periphery of the roller in a variety of ways as will be readily apparent. For example, the roller may be run with a portion of its periphery immersed in a bath of the liquid or the liquid may be sprayed onto the roller or steam caused to condense thereon by cooling the roller from its interior (for example using cold water).

A device for carrying out this method comprises a means for applying liquid to the roll, e.g., a liquid bath into which a portion of a roll can be immersed and which can be provided with a continuous flow of liquid, and means for removing the liquid from the surface of the roller, e. g., a brush at one side of the bath.

It has been found that it is very convenient to form the brush of carpet. Conveniently a doubled over length of carpet which may be of nylon or other plastic material is used the carpet lying over a length of the roller periphery. Alternatively, a flexible squeegee or scraper blade may be used.

The brush, squeegee or scraper is preferably mounted on a slide, or its equivalent which slopes downwardly towards the roller, so that the brush or the like is urged into contact with the roller by its own weight. This enables the brush or the like very easily to be replaced when worn.

If carpet is used as a brush it is conveniently wrapped round a tube and fastened to a clamping plate or plates which slide down the slide possibly supported on the heads of clamping screws or bolts. The length of carpet around the tube, which is normally of smaller diameter than the roller, is then held against the roller by its own weight. A metal bar may be employed within a rubber or plastic hose so that the pressure of the brush device against the roller is increased due to the weight of the bar whilst the resilient hose enables a significant length of carpet to be held against the roller (and not merely line contact).

Such a method and device can be used for cleaning support rollers of a wide range of apparatus. If used with each support roller of the return run of the steamer of a carpet printing machine it substantially solves the problem set out above and avoids smudging of the colours which has been found to occur hitherto.

The invention will now be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating part of the steamer section of a carpet printing machine;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of one embodiment of support roller washing device in accordance with theinvention; and

FIG. 3 is a similar view of an alternative embodiment.

The carpet, generally indicated at 2 is fed on its backing over a series of support rollers 4 within a steamer generally indicated at 6 and is then fed over end rolls 8 for its reverse pass through the steamer. On its reverse pass it is supported face down, on a number of driven rollers 10. During its run through the steamer from left to right as seen in the drawing, some but not all of the coloured dyes used to print the carpet are set. However, some of the excess colour on the face of the carpet is left on the face of the rollers 10 during the reverse pass through the steamer and in order not to contaminate further parts of the design of the carpet, this excess dye needs to be continuously removed from the roller. This is achieved by the use of the device shown in FIG. 2 comprising a bath in the form of a trough 12 in which part of the periphery of each roller 10 runs and through which water flows from an inlet 14 to drain holes 16, the area of the drain holes being less than the area of the inlet, water from the drains being led away by a drain trough 18 supported by a bracket 19.

As the periphery of the roller passes through the water 20 in the bath, the coloured dye on its surface is diluted and then removed at the exit from the bath by a brush device in the form of a strip of nylon carpet 22 which engages the roll over a significant portion of its periphery. The position of the bath and carpet is such that any liquid left on the surface of the roll after brushing with the carpet scraper 22 can evaporate during the passage of the roll between the carpet scraper and the point of re-engagement with the pile of the carpet.

The loop of carpet 22 is secured around a reinforced rubber hose 24 and a steel bar 26, to increase the weight of the device, and is clamped between two plates 28 by bolts 30. The heads of the bolts in use engage a slide 32 forming an extension of the trough l2 and sloping downwardly towards the roller.

Thus the surface of the carpet brush surrounding the tube 24 is held by its own weight against the surface of the roller 10 and due to the relative dimensions, at a point above the surface of the water in the trough 12 but below the centre line of the roller.

The resilience of the carpet pile, the backing of the carpet and the rubber hose ensures that the carpet pile is crushed slightly against the roller, as shown at 34, to provide a significant area of contact to ensure efficient scraping.

If the carpet 22 should wear unevenly across the length of the roller 10, then due to the relative freedom of the carpet device on its slide, self adjustment occurs. Equally, the carpet brushing device may very easily be replaced merely by lifting it from its slide and dropping a replacement onto the slide. This is an important factor as the conditions existing in the steamer are unpleasant.

Alternatively the carpet scraper may be formed as shown in FIG. 3, of a loop of carpet 36 which is secured by bolts 38 between two plates 40, 42 an extension of the outer plate 42 acting to hold the carpet against the roll. The heads of the bolts enter slots (not shown) in the support bracket for the trough and are held in position by tightening the bolts. The carpet and plates can then be removed and replaced quickly as a unit.

Instead of the trough of liquid, liquid may be sprayed onto the surface of the rollers or steam caused to condense on the surface thereof, the liquid being subsequently removed from the periphery of the roller.

Instead of the carpet brush devices described above nylon brush( es) or a flexible scraper blade or squeegee may be used, e.g. one made of polypropylene or of laminated stainless steel giving sufficient flexibility to maintain contact along the whole length of the roller.

I claim:

1. In a carpet printing apparatus, a carpet support roller cleaning device for continuously cleaning a rotat- 4 ing carpet support roller which supports a moving carpet at a first location on said roller surface, comprising;

means for applying a liquid to said roller surface at a second location on said roller surface,

brush means including support engaging means, said brush means engaging said roller surface at a location, in the direction of roller rotation, between said second and first locations, respectively, for removing said liquid from said roller surface and, support means for said brush means, carrying said support engaging means, said support means comprising a planar member, sloping downward toward said roller to urge said brush means against said roller surface by the weight of said brush means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said means for applying a liquid to said roller comprises a bath through which said roller surface rotates.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said brush means comprises a strip of carpet of non-absorbent material with the pile engaging said roller surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said brush means comprises a strip of carpet of non-absorbent material, a resilient tube and a metal bar,

said resilient tube wrapped above said metal bar and said carpet wrapped around said resilient tube.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 which further includes a pair of plates between which said carpet and resilient tube are clamped and attachment means to clamp said plates together.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said attachment means comprise bolts, with heads, said support engaging means comprising said bolt heads.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENTNO. 3,916,475 DATED November 4, 1975 INVIENTOR(S) Ernest Wilford it is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the first page under the heading "Foreign Application Priority Data" delete '-'30073/72" and insert therefore -30873/72--- Signed and Scaled this second Day Of March 1976 [SEAL] Attest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer X Commissioner ofPatents and Trademarks 

1. In a carpet printing apparatus, a carpet support roller cleaning device for continuously cleaning a rotating carpet support roller which supports a moving carpet at a first location on said roller surface, comprising; means for applying a liquid to said roller surface at a second location on said roller surface, brush means including support engaging means, said brush means engaging said roller surface at a location, in the direction of roller rotation, between said second and first locations, respectively, for removing said liquid from said roller surface and, support means for said brush means, carrying said support engaging means, said support means comprising a planar member, sloping downward toward said roller to urge said brush means against said roller surface by the weight of said brush means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said means for applying a liquid to said roller comprises a bath through which said roller surface rotates.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said brush means comprises a strip of carpet of non-absorbent material with the pile engaging said roller surface.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said brush means comprises a strip of carpet of non-absorbent material, a resilient tube and a metal bar, said resilient tube wrapped above said metal bar and said carpet wrapped around said resilient tube.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 which further includes a pair of plates between which said carpet and resilient tube are clamped and attachment means to clamp said plates together.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said attachment means comprise bolts, with heads, said support engaging means comprising said bolt heads. 